Raquel Leviss is ready to “share my side of the story.” In her first sit-down interview since the Vanderpump Rules reunion was taped in March, Leviss talked Scandoval, took aim at Bravo and shaded Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix’s relationship. She seemingly confirmed speculation she will not return to Bravo’s hit show after seeking treatment for mental health.
Leviss broke her silence on Bethenny Frankel’s ReWives podcast, which should come as no surprise. The 28-year-old has reportedly joined Frankel who is threatening to sue NBCUniversal, Bravo’s parent company, for alleged “mistreatment of reality stars and crew members” as the Real Housewives alum wants reality TV stars to unionize.
Here are the biggest bombshells from Leviss’s interview.
Leviss, who is officially going by her birth name, Rachel, said compensation on the show is “not fair.”
“And I feel like a toddler saying, ‘It’s not fair!’ But it really isn’t. And I feel like I’ve been portrayed as the ultimate villain. The mistakes that I’ve made on-camera live on forever,” she explained.
Leviss said she “almost went back” to film Season 11 of VPR, agreeing with Frankel there is an addiction component to being on reality television as you want to control your own narrative, as producers always suggest.
“And one of the things that producers also told me is you get paid based off of your performance from the season prior, so that already set me up to want to perform well,” Leviss explained of her mindset last year. ‘If this could be my season, I could really stand out.'” She quipped: “I took direction well.”
Leviss couldn’t afford months-long mental health treatment she just received, suggesting her VPR compensation is so low, noting earlier in the podcast her parents paid the bill.
At one point Frankel added, “It’s my understanding that you get paid in a year less than my interns get paid.”
Leviss insinuated the Scandoval “narrative” — that she slept with her best friend’s boyfriend — has been pumped up through the Bravo PR machine. “It’s more salacious that way,” she added.
For one, she claimed she and Madix were not that close and never hung out just the two of them off-camera.
“We were acquaintances who became friends through the show,” she explained, calling Madix “sweet.” “We never had a deep conversation that I would have with a best friend.”
Leviss still showed some remorse. “It’s painful to think that I hurt her in this way because that wasn’t my intention,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to be a malicious person, I just got wrapped up in this and wasn’t thinking clearly, but we were not best friends.”
Leviss added, “They’re a duo on the show and they utilize that for the success of their brand or image”
The former reality star talked about how Madix and Sandoval are still living together in the home they share in Valley Village, Calif. as they film the new season.
“I don’t know their situations, but I do know it isn’t really that surprising that they’re living together in my eyes because it’s been this way. They haven’t been an authentic couple, romantic, intimate [couple],” she said.